For runners, training during the winter months is simply about maintenance. Every run you manage is a bonus, as you battle the cold, ice and winter blahs, all of which combine to derail most serious training plans.

Spring, on the other hand, is the time to get busy. For anyone planning on completing an early fall marathon or half-marathon, it’s time to get your training plans in order. Even for those who stay away from the race circuit, spring is the time to leave your lacklustre winter workouts behind and add some oomph to your runs.

As divergent as those two sets of goals might seem, they can actually be accomplished with very similar strategies. Whether you have big goals or modest ones, changing up your running habit should become an annual spring tradition.

Before you panic and think I’m going to completely alter your running routine, rest assured that you won’t have to move too far out of your comfort zone. All I’m asking is that one workout a week be devoted to self-improvement.

Pushing yourself to get better is what keeps running interesting. Without a regular set of challenges, it’s too easy to fall into a routine that chips away at your speed and endurance, and lets complacency take their place.

So in an attempt to shake off the blahs that have set in during this long, tough winter, here are a few drills designed to put the spring back into your step:

Go faster

Every runner dreams of more foot speed. Fortunately, getting faster is an attainable goal for everyone, even those who are more inclined to shuffle than sprint. All you need to do is pick up the pace during your training runs.

Fortunately, that boost in speed doesn’t need to last the whole run. Speed should be added in spurts short enough to guarantee you can maintain your pace from start to finish.

For beginners, that means 30-second sprints performed in the middle of your run when you’re well warmed up. Start with three sprint intervals followed by a one-minute recovery walk or jog after each sprint. For more advanced runners, lengthen your pickup to 60-90 seconds and follow it with one or two minutes of easy recovery in between speed intervals.

How fast is a sprint? Try maintaining a speed equal to 80 per cent of your maximum effort for the length of your sprint. Work up to sustaining that same level of effort for all your intervals before increasing the length of your sprint or adding more intervals.

Once you’ve mastered three pickups in the middle of your run, add one more every week until you’re doing six to eight pickups once a week.

Go longer

Improving your endurance means more than just being able to brag about the length of your long run. The best benefit of going longer is how easy the rest of your weekly runs feel once your overall stamina improves.

The first step to boosting endurance is setting a goal. If your longest run is 30 minutes, then consider adding another 15 minutes to your workout. Or maybe you want to work up to 10 kilometres, which means adding another 30 or 40 minutes to your longest run.

Whatever your goal, inch, don’t race, your way there.

Adding five minutes a week to your longest run will allow your body a chance to adapt to the extra distance without stressing it to the point of injury. Going too long too soon is a classic mistake regardless of whether you’re a novice or experienced runner.

Go uphill

Hills build much needed leg strength, which comes in handy during runs when you need to dig deep. Hills also build aerobic power, which allows you an extra gear when you need to get ’er done.

There are a few ways to tackle hills, most of which depend on the topography of your neighbourhood. If you’re lucky to run in an area that has a long gradual hill taking anywhere from five or more minutes to climb, then find a way to fit it into one workout a week.

If your neighbourhood lacks a single big hill, but has lots of small ones, plan your route to include up to six hills.

Or, if it’s easier, choose one medium-size hill and repeat the same climb several times, walking or jogging slowly back down after each ascent.

As for your style on the hills, try to maintain the same speed for the full length of the incline leaning slightly forward from your ankles, not from the hips or waist. Look ahead, not down, and keep your chest lifted throughout the climb.

And whatever you do, don’t let the hill defeat you. Save some power for those last few strides to the top and run over the crest, allowing yourself the luxury of coasting on the way back down.

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